


Against All Odds

by BigBadLittleRed



Series: Stonathan Week [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-16 14:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13055703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigBadLittleRed/pseuds/BigBadLittleRed
Summary: Stonathan Week 2017's theme fills!





	1. Forever Is Not Long At All

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Raise Your Glasses!
> 
> This day focuses on special occasions and celebratory events in the lives of Steve and Jonathan. From birthdays, graduation, anniversaries, and even marriage, this day is about momentous occasions in the boys’ lives!

**_December 12th, 1989_ **

 

“That’s him, it’s gotta be!”

 

“Quiet,” Steve hisses to Dustin, who excitedly hits him a few times in the chest, grinning ear to ear. He hears the car engine shut off outside, and now it’s Steve’s turn to hit Dustin a few times on the back with a smirk. Footsteps walk up to the door of the Byers household, a key turning in the lock, and then the door swings open.

 

“Why is everyone hiding in the dark?” The light flips on, Steve rolls his eyes as everyone jumps up and yells surprise, but Jonathan is smiling so he can’t find the energy to be mad. Even after an eight-hour shift, he looked gorgeous. His hair was all tussled, eyes tired but sparkling with happiness, and his scrubs wrinkled.

 

“Happy anniversary, Jonny.” Steve steps up to his boyfriend, the younger man leaning up on his toes to kiss him. Steve smiles against Jonathan’s lips as Dustin, Lucas, and Will all make barfing sounds just to tease them.

 

“Where’s Elle and Mike?” Jonathan looks to Will with a small frown, looking just the slightest bit upset. The kids weren’t kids anymore and they all had jobs and obligations, but missing Steve and Jonathan’s five year anniversary party was strange.

 

“Elle had night class tonight, Mike’s picking her up and they’re stopping by the apartment to get ready. They’ll be over in half an hour tops, promise.” Will steps up to his big brother, who wasn’t quite so big anymore, not with Will taking after the taller half of their family. He was at least two inches taller than Jonathan, who hadn’t grown an inch since his fifteenth birthday most likely. “Happy anniversary.” He says with a smile, leaning back.

 

“You’ll be next, kiddo.” Steve grins, earning a light blush of the young man’s cheeks. The eighteen-year-old had a strange couple of years, he’d started dating Mike in tenth grade a year after Elle and Mike had broken it off… And then there was a rocky period when they all sort of became a thing, which apparently was working because all three of them were happy. Will was with Mike and Elle was with Mike, but Will and Elle were just friends because Will was gay and loved El like a sister. It seemed really complicated in Steve’s eyes but honestly, as long as the kid was happy he was for anything.

 

“It’s a good thing I brought a change of clothes to this sudden ‘anniversary dinner at mom’s’.” Jonathan snorts, holding up a pair of clothes. He gives Steve another kiss and heads off into Will’s room to change, passing by his mom and giving her a quick hug.

 

“So is Dustin making shit up or do you have what I think you have?” Lucas asks quietly as he approaches, Max and Will crowding in and smiling brightly.

 

“Spoil the surprise and I will maim each and every one of you. You might not be thirteen anymore, but I can still kick your asses.” He promises with a point of his finger, earning a roll of Max’s eyes and a smirk from Lucas.

 

“You couldn’t win a fight in high school, and you still can’t now.” Max tells him, glancing back towards the doorway. “Show us.” She insists, Steve sighs and does a cursory glance before pulling the rings from his pocket. They were both silver bands, simple and modest, nothing too flashy. Steve had the sizing made from being really stupid and making Jonathan put on his old class ring to make sure it would fit.

 

“Cool,” Dustin grins, Steve quickly shoves them into his pocket when he hears footsteps coming down the hall. Jonathan steps into the room again, now dressed in one of his nicer button downs and jeans.

 

“How was work?” Steve asks when the younger approaches, he rolls his eyes and leans into Steve’s chest.

 

“One of the patients called me a commie and tried to lock himself in the bathroom.” He says seriously, earning snickers from the kids and a stifled smile from Steve. “I can’t wait for my transfer to pediatrics. I became a nurse to work with kids, not old people that want to mouth off to me. If I wanted to work with Dustin I would.” He says with a smile, earning a gentle shove from the curly haired man.

 

“I’m not old!” Dustin objects, Jonathan grins.

 

“Well you should see what I deal with on a day to day basis. Hawkins might not be that exciting anymore but old lady Witkowski is extremely insistent on Mr. Quinlan from across the street spying on her.” He laughs, Jonathan smiles and drops his head on Steve’s chest.

 

“When’s dinner?” He questions quietly.

 

“Soon, mom and I made it…. I mean, really I made it and mom sort of added things when I told her to.” Will explains with a snort, Jonathan smirks and pats his brother’s shoulder.

 

“Hey, I heard that!” Joyce says, coming in from the kitchen. “Elle and Mike will be here in about twenty minutes, they just called.” She explains, Jonathan nods his head and goes in for another hug from her. “And Hop is just a few minutes away,” She leans up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

 

“Good,” He sighs quietly, walking over to the couch and sinking down. Steve sits down on one side of him, Will on the other, the others fit into chairs nearby (Dustin and Joyce) or on the floor (Lucas and Max), and they all get to talking about their lives.

 

They don’t see the kids all that much anymore, after they started college they sort of scattered. Everyone had their own lives and they only saw each other one at a time or in small groups on occasion, not in a big group like this. It feels like home, Steve’s arm wrapped around Jonathan as they all talk and smile and laugh. He feels the rings in his pocket, and knows that no matter what happens, he’ll be happy.

 

-

 

“Sorry I’m late, had to close up.” Jim says upon arrival, hanging up his hat and still dressed in his uniform. Jonathan is immediately on his feet, had always done that strangely enough when it came to Jim. Will told him once that it was because their father used to spank Jonathan for not showing proper respect to him, so he’d learned to always stand when his father came into the room, like a soldier. It was a little unnerving, but it also let Steve know that Jonathan respected Jim like a father somehow, in his own traumatized little way.

 

“He gave me the evening off to help prepare this lovely party.” Steve says with a grin, Jonathan smirks and steps forward to give Jim a hug. The man still looked shocked when Jonathan hugged him, it was a recent thing really, it had taken them a while to really grow close.

 

“Damn, I wish my boss was my future father in law.” Dustin says, Steve’s eyes widen and Dustin yelps as Max pinches him.

 

“Future father in law?” Jonathan turns his head, puzzled as if he was missing out on a joke, but then he catches Steve’s eyes. “O-Oh…” His eyes soften slightly, Lucas shoves Dustin’s shoulder.

 

“Great going blabber mouth.” He mutters.

 

“Do I still get to be the best man?” Dustin questions, earning another couple of hits from Lucas and Max. Steve glares at him and then gets to his feet, feeling his heart start to race.

 

“Steve,” Jonathan says warily as the older approaches him, digging in his pocket.

 

“I was going to save this for after dinner,” He shoots Dustin another look, the younger man shrugs innocently and smiles. “But I guess this is a good time,” He drops down onto his knee hesitantly, pulling out the ring for Jonathan.

 

“It took me a while to realize you were the one, after a couple months of friendship and a few weeks of dating… We went out to star gaze and… get involved with illegal substances.” He snickers with a small glance over at Jim, who rolls his eyes. Jonathan’s eyes are shining a little, but he laughs. “And we sat on the hood, and at one point you looked at me and said we should go home because you didn’t want me to get sick… Because I wasn’t wearing a jacket.” He can feel tears welling into his own eyes, and damnit he promised himself he wouldn’t cry.

 

“You still never wear it,” Jonathan mumbles, wiping at his eye with his sleeve.

 

“Well I guess you’ll just have to spend the rest of our lives telling me to put it on, now won’t you?” He offers the ring, Jonathan makes a noise akin to a sob and nods his head.

 

“I-I guess I will.” He agrees with a smile, Steve grins and slips the ring on his finger when he offers his hand.

 

“Jonathan Harrington or Steve Byers?” Dustin questions suddenly, Will hits him this time and the front door opens to reveal Mike and Elle. They step inside, Elle’s eyes widen at the sight of Steve on his knees and Mike immediately groans.

 

“Damnit, we missed it!” Mike throws his hands up in exasperation, Elle frowns a little. “We always miss the good stuff.” He gestures at Steve still kneeling at the floor.

 

“Spoiler alert, he said yes.” Steve offers, allowing Jonathan to help him to his feet so they can hug and kiss.

 

“Well no shit.” Elle grins, stepping over to where Will and the others are gathered.

 

“Harrington-Byers.” Jonathan says suddenly as they break apart, Steve frowns at him. “Jonathan Harrington-Byers, and Steve Harrington-Byers.” He explains.

 

“Can you even do that legally?” Lucas asks, Steve snorts.

 

“Who the fuck cares?” He kisses Jonathan again, grabbing tight to his shirt and humming against him with a muffled laugh. “Oh…” He breaks away, pulling out his ring. “Look at the engraving.” He insists, Jonathan starts to pull away and slips the ring from his finger to check the inside.

 

“My favorite stalker,” Jonathan reads, then snorts and shoves the older boy away. “You’re such a jackass!” He says with a grin, Steve shrugs his shoulders and smirks in response as the younger puts the ring back on. It looks perfect on him, makes Steve’s heart flutter to know that it was a symbol of how much they loved one another. “I’m gonna have to put something like ‘to the biggest idiot with the biggest hair’ on yours.” He jokes, Steve immediately shakes his head.

 

“More like ‘for my gorgeous lover’.” He grins as he gestures his hand out broadly, Jonathan rolls his eyes.

 

“You two are disgusting,” Dustin says, stepping forward and grabbing them both by the shoulders before they can start to bicker. “Lucas made cupcakes, so can we eat?” He asks, earning eye rolls from both the men and from a few of his friends as well.

 

“I think it’s time to crack open the champagne.” Jim steps forward and pats Steve on the back, pulling Jonathan into a side hug and ruffling his hair. “And I call the cupcake with the most icing.” He says immediately, earning outraged noises from Dustin and Elle.

 

“I think not, old man!” Dustin shrieks, chasing after Hopper into the kitchen with Elle on their heels.

 

Steve glances over at Jonathan, who was currently staring down at his ring and brushing his thumb over it gently. The older steps forward, pulling Jonathan against his chest and kissing his head, the smaller man wrapping his arms around Steve.

 

“Any regrets?” Steve murmurs, earning a low chuckle from Jonathan.

 

“Remember that godawful sweater I stole from you my senior year?” He questions, Steve barks out a surprised laugh and pulls the younger back to press a kiss to his lips. “Happy anniversary.” Jonathan says softly.

 

“Here’s to many more,” Steve grins, earning another kiss.

 

“Stop making out and get in here so the Chief can make his shitty toast!” Max calls, bickering starts up in the kitchen and Steve smiles as Jonathan takes his hand and leads him from the living room.

 

Steve glances down at the rings on their joined hands, smirking to himself. As long as it got him here, he really didn’t have a single regret… Except maybe not seeing what a catch Jonathan Byers was long before he did.


	2. The Stone Killers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan is under attack by living statues, Steve has to rush to the rescue before it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2\. Monster Hunting!
> 
> A day dedicated to the villains of Stranger Things, more specifically creating a bad guy, using an already existing creature from outside of Stranger Things (such as werewolves, dragons, anything with an outside origin), or just using some of the villains from the show (humans included) to bring about bad things for Steve and Jonathan!

It happened so fast, just having set his flowers down at the grave, only to look up and find a large statue of a woman having moved to just behind the gravestone he was standing before. It was like his heart stopped completely in his chest, for a moment he couldn’t believe his eyes. Its hand was stretched out, just inches in front of him, it was reaching for him.

 

“Jonathan!” He hears the voice, relief flooding him, he starts to turn his head. “No! Keep your eyes on it!” He freezes, returning his eyes to the statue and clenching his fists as he realizes the statue now had a firm grip on his jacket. He reaches up and wraps his hand around its wrist, firm and stone, yet somehow capable of movement. Steve’s footsteps are hurrying through the graves, he tries to pull back and finds that he’s caught by this creature.

 

“Steve… I looked away, it’s got my jacket… How is this… The statue is alive?” He asks, baffled and disoriented by the mere idea of stone moving.

 

“Don’t look away from it, Jonathan, don’t even blink.” Steve says quietly, deadly serious, and Jonathan would laugh if he hadn’t seen the statue about twenty feet away just a few minutes ago.

 

He was just visiting the cemetery, trying to pay his respects to Bob. Steve coming to his rescue wasn't that strange, it wasn’t like they were enemies anymore, if anything they were sort of getting to be a little more than mere acquaintances nowadays. They hadn’t been friends for very long, but Jim had gotten close with his new deputy and Will had nothing but good things to say, so Jonathan and Steve eventually sort of fell into each other. They had common interests, you could say, and shared trauma.

 

“What is it?” He asks quietly, staring right into the eyes of the statue. He’s scared, doesn’t know what’ll happen if he looks away, doesn’t know what he’s going to do. Something about this thing drew an intense fear response from him, deep in his gut, his body knew this thing was a predator he should be deathly afraid of.

 

“I don’t know yet, but the kids were talking about them. They’re all over the cemetery, don’t blink, I’m thinking.” Jonathan suddenly has the itching urge to shut his eyes, his heart is racing in his chest. “We’re surrounded, a few of them moved.” A back presses to Jonathan’s, his breath stutters in his chest and he automatically reaches back, clutching tight to Steve’s sleeve.

 

“Did you tell Hopper?” He asks quietly, having the urge to look down when Steve’s hand intertwines their fingers.

 

“I came right here, Will said you were down at the cemetery. Lucas and Max were out here, they saw the statues move. They said as long as you looked at them, they wouldn’t move.” Steve says, giving him his grim answer. Hopefully, the kids would get help, hopefully they knew that Steve wouldn’t be able to handle this on his own. “They gunned it out of here as fast as possible.”

 

“How do we know they’re dangerous?” He asks with a lilt in his voice, trying to look on the bright side.

 

“Because Billy followed Max out here, one of the statues snuck up behind him. He vanished, there’s no sign of him.” He admits, Jonathan grimaces at the statue in front of him.

 

“How many statues are there in this cemetery?” He questions, Steve squeezes his hand and Jonathan leans back a little harder.

 

“I’ve got four in my sight right now, so considering we aren’t gone, I’m guessing five.” He mutters, Jonathan nods his head and grits his teeth. He thinks about his little brother trying to race in on his bike to save him, and realizes that they can’t just sit here.

 

“We need to get out of here, I want you to start walking towards the gate.” He insists, feeling the movement of Steve shaking his head, starting to object. “Just start walking, keep your eyes on as many as you can.” He commands quietly.

 

“I’m not letting you go.” He snaps, Jonathan swallows and starts to pull his hand away from Steve’s, but the other grips him tight.

 

“I’m gonna get out of my jacket, but to do that I need to let go of you and look away from my statue.” He explains quietly, feeling almost ten times more afraid when the older boy lets go of his hand. “Okay, start moving back, keep your eyes on your statues. As soon as you have mine in sight too, tell me.” He instructs, sighing shakily as Steve’s warmth disappears from his back.

 

“I’m right here, Jonny, I’m not stepping out of this cemetery without you at my side.” He promises quietly, his footsteps crunching through the dead grass as he slowly steps away. “Jesus Christ!” Steve shouts suddenly, there’s a sound of stumbling, Jonathan winces and almost blinks.

 

“Steve?” He calls out, paralyzed with fear.

 

 “Shit, Jonny, I’m sorry, I-I fell…” He says quietly, Jonathan’s eyes widen and for a moment he almost blinks, his eyes burning from lack of blinking. “There’s one near me, but the others are closer to you.” He explains.

 

“W-Where?” He questions, swallowing roughly as he starts to maneuver his arm out of his jacket.

 

“There’s one just behind you, the others are a little further away. You can still get out, just be careful.” He says, Jonathan nods his head and continues to slowly shrug out of his jacket. “They’re closer together, you can stop looking.” Jonathan turns his eyes down at his jacket and yanks his arm out of his other sleeve.

 

He staggers backwards, heart still racing at the sight of the statue of an angel that had been positioned just behind him. It had its hands splayed out like claws, having been towering over him from behind like it was seconds away from snatching him. He turns away, wanting to cast the images from his mind. He spots the one next to Steve, the young man awkwardly positioned so he can see all of them.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna move back and then you can follow me.” Jonathan slips by him, touching his shoulder gently as he passes. He weaves through the graves for a few feet, then stops and turns, making sure he has them all in sight. “Move,” He says, Steve turns and sprints towards the gate, only stopping at the entryway.

 

“Break for it, Jonny!” Steve calls, Jonathan turns and starts to run, leaping over headstones and zigzagging until he reaches the gate. They both turn, looking at the statues as they step from the graveyard and force the gates shut. “How are we gonna keep these guys in?” He asks, slightly out of breath.

 

“I dunno,” He shakes his head, peering across the graveyard where the statues still stood. He frowns, noting that the angel and the statue of the woman that had been in front and behind him, are the only ones that hadn’t moved since he’d slipped away. “Let’s look away for a second.” He urges, Steve makes an objecting noise.

 

“Have you lost your mind?” He demands, Jonathan shakes his head.

 

“Just for a second.” He promises, Steve sighs quietly. “Look away and look back, on three… One… Two… Three.” They both turn their heads and turn back, the statues are closer, all except the two Jonathan had been close to.

 

“Those two aren’t moving.” Steve murmurs, as if starting to realize what Jonathan had used to start up a theory.

 

“They’re looking at each other, they can’t move.” He says, Steve chuckles under his breath and leans against the gate.

 

“Talk about a loophole.” He says softly, Jonathan snorts and pulls his hands gently from the steel bars of the gates. He feels weak from his adrenaline rush, hopes that the Chief would be here soon, until then they couldn’t leave. Who knows what might happen if they stop looking all together? “You okay?” Steve says after a minute, Jonathan hums.

 

“Yeah, but that was my favorite jacket.” He snorts, pointing to the piece of fabric still held in the woman statue’s fist.

 

“Here,” He frowns as a heavy warmth is placed over his shoulders, Steve’s Hawkins Police Department uniform jacket having been draped over him.

 

“It’s okay,” He murmurs, still glaring through the gate at the statue creatures. “It’s cold out here, you need it.” He tries to pry it off, only for Steve to wrap his arms around him from behind.

 

“I’ll take it back once I obliterate that statue and get you your jacket back.” He murmurs, dropping his chin on Jonathan’s head and not stepping away. Jonathan feels a blush rise to his cheeks, smirking to himself as Steve plasters himself to the younger’s back.

 

“Okay,” He relents, moving his arms out from under Steve’s grip to slip them into the jacket sleeves. It’s long and big on him, but very warm, he settles his arms on the ones around his waist. “Just until then.” He mumbles, hearing Steve hum in agreement.


	3. Two Sides of the Same Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan Byers is a young warlock that's new to Camelot, on his first day he has a run-in with a particularly unsavory character that turns out to be a prince. Who would have thought?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3\. Stranger Fusion!
> 
> A day dedicated to creating something in the universe of a show or movie of your choosing! Just put Steve and Jonathan as if they were the main characters of a movie you love, or in an episode of your favorite show!
> 
> ( I chose BBC's Merlin, because why not combine my newest ship with one of my oldest ships? )

Jonathan’s eyes hadn’t beheld such a beautiful sight in all his young life, stepping through the gates of Camelot. He had been sent into the kingdom by his mother, who had arranged for him to stay and learn under the court physician, a rather gruff man named James. Jonathan had one secret to keep, a secret that could mean his execution if it was found out. He had to stay out of the way and do what he had to do, to make his mother and little brother proud.

 

But of course, who can resist telling off an absolute prick?

 

“Go on then, run!” A young man tells another, holding a large target, the man’s eyes widen and he starts to zigzag. The other man chucks a dagger at the target, hitting right near the middle, laughing. He gets in a couple of shots until the man with the target drops it, rushing after it as it rolls right to Jonathan. He sticks his foot out to stop it, smiling wryly.

 

“All right, that’s enough.” He says easily, earning the young man’s attention. “You’ve had your fun.” He insists, the young man saunters up to him with a sneer.

 

“Do I know you?” He snaps, Jonathan crosses his arms and cocks his hip.

 

“I’m Jonathan,” He greets, the man rolls his eyes.

 

“So I don’t know you,” He says snottily, propping his hands on his hips. “And yet you called me ‘friend’.” He says, almost tauntingly, Jonathan scowls.

 

“I can see that was my mistake.” He quips in reply, the brunette nods his head.

 

“Yeah, it was.” He agrees, Jonathan can’t hold his tongue.

 

“I’d never have a friend who could be such an ass.” The mood quickly goes from teasing and mildly uncomfortable to tense as the other young man’s eyes darken. Jonathan turns on his heel and starts to walk away, attempting to end the conversation with this major asshole.

 

“Or I one who could be so stupid! Tell me, Jonathan… Do you know how to walk on your knees?” Jonathan turns his head, anger rolling through him at the blatant challenge.

 

“No,” He says shortly, the man smiles.

 

“Would you like me to teach you?” He questions, Jonathan shakes his head and chuckles darkly.

 

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” He warns, earning a surprised look from the man.

 

“Why?” He demands, grinning ear to ear. “What are you going to do to me?” He urges, earning laughs from his friends behind him.

 

“You have no idea,” Jonathan can feel his fingers tingling, itching just to send this guy back onto his ass. He didn't have to use his hands, he had something much stronger, but there was a crowd of people around and the use of magic was strictly forbidden in the kingdom of Camelot. He quickly throws a punch, knocking the man back into a stumble, but he recovers without hesitation and tackles Jonathan onto the ground.

 

“You’ll be thrown in jail for that!” He snarls, Jonathan grunts as he’s hauled to his feet.

 

“Who do you think you are, the king?!” He demands, his arm twisted behind his back.

 

“No, I’m his son, Steven.” He quips, Jonathan groans under his breath as he’s forced forwards onto his knees again.

 

-

 

"You're an idiot," Jonathan rolls his eyes and shifts in the confines of the stocks he'd been imprisoned in. Jim had gotten him off easy, and instead of being thrown into the dungeon, he was here. He'd had quite a few kids come along and pelt him with rotten fruit and vegetables so far, and he was due to be in here for the rest of the day. He could deal with being pelted but having to stand at such an awkward angle was murder on his back.

 

"Thank you, I appreciate the support." Jonathan snaps in reply, watching the young woman step up to him with a smile. "Aren't you going to throw something at me?" He questions, the woman shakes her head and smirks.

 

"No, I think you've got it bad enough right now. I just wanted to tell you that even though you're an idiot, you're a brave idiot at that." She comments, leaning against the stocks and peering down at him.

 

"If I knew he was the prince, I wouldn't have gotten involved." He argues, the girl laughs.

 

"You would have," She says certainly, pausing to look around, seemingly lost in thought. 

 

"What's your name?" He twists his neck in the wooden prison, squinting up at her.

 

"Nancy," She greets, shaking his shackled hand.

 

"I guess that makes me the village idiot, then, Jonathan." He mumbles, she laughs again.

 

"I suppose it does," She steps back from the stocks, kicking the bucket of rotting food over. "I'll see you around, Jonathan!" She calls, walking off without another word. Jonathan waves his hand helplessly, still stuck in place. 

 

"See you..." He says quietly, left all alone.

 

-

 

And of course, all of this led to this very moment where Jonathan found himself intertwined in the destiny of a giant asshole. Stupid dragon and his stupid prophecy, of course he should have let Steve die but not if it meant the apocalypse. He pulled the young man out of the way right as the assassination attempt took place, and saved the life of a prince in front of a room full of people. His rewards almost seemed like a punishment, to both him and Steve, that Jonathan be his manservant.

 

“Father, you cannot do this!” Steve argues, Jonathan standing in mild awe as the older man attempts to turn away, his words apparently thought to be final.

 

“Steven, this young man saved your life!” He points to the dagger dug into the chair where Steve once sat. “Besides, you’ve been bemoaning a lack of a personal servant until now, and now you have one! That is final, I have spoken.” The man snaps, turning away once more and stalking off, followed by the guards.

 

“Son of a bitch,” Steve kicks the table he had been sitting at, running a hand through his long dark hair. He looks up at Jonathan, who smiles impishly at the young man.

 

“Guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, my lord.” He grins, Steve scowls and rolls his eyes, spinning on his heel.

 

“Head up to my quarters and draw me a bath,” He storms away, and Jonathan’s victory becomes extremely short-lived. He was now at the beck and call of a major prick. Jonathan sighs, but dutifully heads out of the grand hall and towards the tower. If he was going to keep close to Steve, he had to do his job properly, and if there was one thing Jonathan could do well, it was work hard.


	4. Cheesy But Delicious - Postponed

I didn't write a chapter for this theme, but I'm saving this place just in case I get an idea before the week is up!


	5. Lying In Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan gets into a car accident, which leads to complications that ends with him in a coma. Steve is faced with the realization that he might not ever get to tell Jonathan about his feelings for him.

Steve races through the front doors and speed walks up the front desk, out of breath from his sprint from the parking lot. Before he can get a word out to the concerned nurse at the desk, a voice calls his name. He turns on his heel and spots Nancy through the glass of the waiting room, standing with Joyce and Will. He hurries around and slips into the room, immediately pulling Nancy into his arms for a hug.

 

“I heard about it, I-I didn’t see, Callahan and Powell were at the crash site. Chief drove, he’s parking the car.” He breathes, leaning back and immediately getting drawn into another hug from Joyce. She hugs a lot tighter, her breaths shaking in his ear, in tears when they pull away. “What happened?” He questions, feeling anxious and absolutely terrified.

 

“A trucker fell asleep at the wheel, veered into the other lane. Jonathan tried to turn but he careened down a hill and flipped, he’s in surgery.” Nancy says quietly, the words are nothing to ease him, he feels sick to his stomach as Will inches closer to him. He pulls the young man against him, the boy immediately wrapping his arms around the guy that had become like another older brother to him.

 

“Jesus Christ,” He can feel tears burning in his eyes, his legs weak from shock, he sinks down into one of the plastic seats. Nancy immediately sits down next to him, her hand rubbing his back gently. “Do they know anything yet?” He asks, glancing from Joyce and Will to Nancy, Nancy shakes her head. Will sinks down into the chair on Steve’s right, leaning against him, Steve wraps his arm around him.

 

“He’s gonna be okay,” Will murmurs, tears in his eyes and voice shaking. “I know it.” He whispers.

 

“I’m here!” Hopper hurries into the room, immediately Joyce goes to him and falls against his chest. “It’s gonna be okay, Joyce…” He says quietly, still breathing heavily as he hugs her tightly.

 

All they could do now was wait, he supposed. And knowing that was agony.

 

-

 

“Jonathan Byers?” The doctor calls as he enters the room, still dressed in his scrubs. Everyone is immediately on their feet, including Mike and Elle, who had arrived not long ago to comfort Will.

 

“I’m his mother,” Joyce steps forward, Will scuffles after her, all of them standing wide eyed with baited breath.

 

“He’s alive,” It’s the first thing he says, causing a sigh of relief to come from a few of them, but Joyce and Will were still quiet and tense. “But he’s not out of the woods yet, the next twenty-four hours are critical. He suffered some severe head trauma that caused intense swelling of the brain tissue, but we were able to bring it down.” He explains, adjusting his clipboard in front of him and reaching up to shift the mask still hanging on his neck.

 

“Anything permanent?” Joyce asks, hesitant, the man grimaces.

 

“We won’t know that for a while, we’re going to keep him under observation for the next twenty-four hours and monitor his progress.” He tells them with a gentle gesture of his hand. “He also had some mild lacerations, two breaks in his left arm and a broken rib. He’s very lucky, not everyone could escape something like that with only mild injuries.” He says with a shake of his head, frowning down at his clipboard.

 

“Can we see him?” Will demands, the doctor glances up at him.

 

“He’s in the Intensive Care Unit right now, so family only. If things look good tomorrow, we’ll put him in a room and he can have other visitors.” He allows, Steve grunts under his breath and rubs at his thighs anxiously, Nancy pats his shoulder quietly. That was his best friend, he should be allowed to see him. “But I have to warn you to prepare yourself, he’s hooked up to a lot of machines and not looking too good right now.” He tells Joyce and Will.

 

“Just take us to him.” Joyce insists, and then they’re stepping from the room, leaving the others in silence.

 

“Nancy, why don’t you drive Steve, Elle and Mike home? You guys should get some sleep.” Jim says suddenly, earning immediate protests from Mike and Steve.

 

“I’m not going anywhere!” Steve argues, Mike gestures to the older boy as if to agree.

 

“You can’t do anything here right now, come back tomorrow morning and you can wait around then.” Jim says quietly, getting to his feet. “You’ve been working all day, Harrington, go home and at least change out of your uniform. You can take tomorrow off and spend the day pacing a rut in the floor here if you want, but go home now.” He says with his hands on his hips.

 

Mike looks to Steve pleadingly, as if to ask him to continue his objections, but Steve can’t find much energy at all. He simply nods his head, getting to his feet, running a hand through his hair. Nancy gets up as well, Mike sighs angrily and Elle grabs him by the arm.

 

“Can I sleep at Mike’s?” Elle asks Jim, who gives her a mildly disapproving look.

 

“In Nancy’s room, yes.” He says, looking to the older girl, who smiles weakly in agreement. “Go on, you can come back tomorrow.” He waves them away, Nancy leads the kids out of the room, leaving Steve and Jim together.

 

“Night Chief,” He sighs, starting to leave, surprised when Jim catches his shoulder.

 

“He’ll be okay, you gotta stay positive… For the kids, you know.” He murmurs, Steve nods his head once more and glances away, tears burning in his eyes. “Ah, kid.” He’s tugged into a hug, the older man giving him a firm squeeze and a steady pat to his back. Steve feels just a little bit better when he pulls away, nodding his head and giving the man a weak salute.

 

“Seeya tomorrow, boss.” He mumbles, slipping away.

 

-

 

Steve barely sleeps at all that night, and is one of the first ones at the hospital the next morning, spotting the Chief drinking coffee in the waiting room when he arrives around six. He slumps into one of the chairs near the door, they weren’t the only ones in the room, there was a woman sitting near the back, but she didn’t look nearly as haggard as the Chief looked and Steve felt.

 

“Get any sleep?” The Chief asks, chuckling at the sour expression Steve throws his way.

 

“No news?” He questions, changing the subject, Jim shakes his head. “Damnit,” He sighs, rubbing his hands over his face.

 

“No news is better than bad news, no news means nothing eventful enough happened to warrant anyone’s attention.” Jim tells him, getting up and moving to sit closer to Steve. “Joyce said he looks pretty bad, they have him on a ventilator.” He offers, Steve bites the inside of his cheek and stares at the matted and stained carpet beneath them.

 

“I don’t know what I’ll do if he’s gone.” Steve finally says, the first thing he’s really said to anyone since he got to the hospital last night.

 

 

 He had so many thoughts running through his head, and the main one was that Jonathan could die and the last time Steve had seen him would really be the final time he’d ever see him. The last time they had seen each other wasn’t anything special, he recalls a nice night of movies and pizza, Jonathan slipping out after breakfast with a sarcastic comment and a gravelly laugh as he walked out the door.

 

But that couldn’t be it, how could that possibly be it? The concept of it was panicking him, the idea of a person’s existence just ceasing, a person that Steve cares about more than he cared to admit. They had things to do still, Jonathan wanted to see the brand new Evil Dead 2. The first movie was his favorite and even though he was adamant about nothing being better than the first, he still was craving to see it and Steve knew that. He still had loads of things to do, like travel and live his life. He had to have kids, they had talked about it, he wanted a child…

 

Even worse, Jonathan didn’t know, he didn’t know that Steve kinda sorta had feelings for him. Not like utterly infatuated, but maybe a little, just a bit. It was painful to keep secret but he was such a coward, unable to admit it. Usually he met a person and made a move on them by appearances alone, but Jonathan came into his life and things changed. He was just a face, just some guy he knew, and then that face sort of became his personality. He went from just being Jonathan, to being Jonathan, the guy that was so much more than a guy with a camera and a snobby music taste.

 

“You can’t talk like that, he’s still alive.” Jim insists, Steve nods quietly, keeping his eyes on the floor. “I mean it, I don’t want to hear anything like that from you again. It’s okay to be afraid, it’s okay to be sad, but right now we have to have some hope and faith that Jonathan is going to be okay. His heart is beating, just reminder yourself that.” He claps Steve roughly on the back, a firm jostle that jerks Steve out of his morbidity.

 

“You’re right… I-I just…” He shakes his head, Jim purses his lips and turns his head away for a moment, looking over at the woman who didn’t seem to be paying them any attention.

 

“You love him,” He murmurs, Steve’s breath catches in his throat. “This is just a reminder that you need to take the chances you get,” He explains quietly, leaning over and looking Steve right in the eye. “He’s going to wake up and eventually he’s going to get better, and we both know that you’re gonna be there for him for however long that may take. And then, when the time is right, you’re going to spill your guts.” He pokes a finger into Steve’s chest, eyes burning with sincerity.

 

“S-Sir,” He mumbles, feeling exposed and a little helpless.

 

“You’re no coward, Steve. Any idiot can have hopes and dreams, it takes a man to go out there and get what you want. If you want him, then you have to throw yourself out there and see what happens.” Jim tells him with certainty.

 

“What i-if he doesn’t like me?” Steve whispers, Jim shakes his head.

 

“Then you just move on. Life will go on, and so will you.” He shakes Steve by his shoulder again, and the younger man can’t help but feel like he just got simultaneously the best and worst advice he could ever receive. The Chief was practically the town bicycle, he slept with all the women, and it took him a good twenty years to admit his feelings to Joyce. Steve wondered if he would have waited that long, if not for this…

 

“Thanks, I guess.” He mutters, dropping his face in his hands.

 

-

 

After all of it, Jonathan takes a turn for the worse. His vitals start to mess up, he even has two seizures before falling into a coma. All of this before waking up, unconscious for days, which turns into two weeks. Their hopes dim ever so slightly when Jonathan’s prognosis goes from ‘should be improving soon’ to ‘we’ll have to wait and see’.

 

The doctor tells them that brain injuries are tricky, that the human brain itself is capable of strange and mysterious things but also miracles. The second Steve hears the word miracle, there’s an alarm in his head that says that the young man won’t make it. He never believed in miracles, miracles were happenstance that occurred in dire situations. It was a thing that happened because of luck of chance, a small percentage option coming true, a simple coincidence.

 

But the second he sees Jonathan motionless, on a ventilator, still bruised and battered, he starts to pray for those so-called miracles. He doesn’t want Jonathan to die like this, it’s so pathetic, so weak, so not Jonathan. He deserved to go out in a blaze of glory if he’s going to die young and rotting away in a hospital bed is no blaze of glory.

 

Joyce goes back to work, Will goes back to school, Steve stops by every day to sit with Jonathan for just a little while on his lunch break. Usually, he just talks, about little things that happen. He tells Jonathan what he’s missing, all the simple things that people take for granted. But he also brings some of the snobby books Jonathan reads, and he sits and reads them aloud, hoping for anything to happen.

 

Two weeks turn to three, they take Jonathan off of the ventilator and say that he should be fine on his own. They just have to wait for him to wake up, but Steve can hear a definite ‘if’ in that statement. If Jonathan wakes up. He hates those words, he goes home some nights and screams, throws things. He can’t stand the idea of waiting for months, years, watching Jonathan age and stay dormant in his mind somehow.

 

He shuts Nancy out, Hopper, even the kids. He doesn’t want their help, doesn’t want their stupid words of hope. He just wants to sit and read to Jonathan, and sometimes if he closes his eyes, he can pretend none of this ever happened. He feels sick to his stomach every time he looks at Jonathan, pale and skinny, almost lifeless aside from the small rise and fall of his chest.

 

Sometimes, when Steve is feeling especially hopeless, he begs. He begs and begs, tears on his face as he squeezes Jonathan’s hand, hoping that somehow he hears him. Maybe after all of it, he did hear, because almost four weeks later there’s a change. Not just a small change, Jonathan starts to stir.

 

Steve is sitting in a chair on one side of the bed, reading one of Jonathan’s books that he’d become rather fond of despite the overrated vocabulary. Will is on the other, drawing, he’d become Steve’s silent partner most weekends. They would sit in waiting together, neither having given up hope in the slightest. They could feed off of each other’s delusions, empower each other with the idea that it would only be a matter of time.

 

Steve’s heart nearly stops when Jonathan’s hand twitches, he turns his head and stares in disbelief. It twitches again, Steve’s eyes widen and he sets his book down. He looks over at Will, the young man still distracted with his work.

 

“Will,” He murmurs, earning the boy’s curious gaze. “His hand.” He says, voice so soft because he’s afraid it’s not real, afraid it’s just a false alarm. He doesn’t want to shatter this illusion, this beacon of hope.

 

“Holy shit,” Will stands up with a scrape of his chair when Jonathan’s head turns, his body shifting weakly.

 

“Get a nurse, now.” Steve snaps his fingers, the younger quickly races from the room, shouting down the hall. Steve smirks, then turns his eyes to Jonathan, getting to his feet and leaning over him. “Jonny boy, you coming to?” He whispers, watching the young man’s face contort, eyebrows twitching and mouth stretching into a small frown as he starts to wake up.

 

Jonathan mumbles something and Steve actually bounces on the balls of his feet excitedly, a nurse and Will run back in. Will is at his side immediately, and a doctor comes into the room a moment later. Jonathan blinks open his eyes and Steve holds his breath, waiting to see what brain swelling, two seizures, and about a month of coma did to him.

 

“Jonathan?” The doctor says, leaning over the bed and checking vitals before observing Jonathan for a moment. The young man looks around in tired confusion, seeming to still be rousing properly. He meets Steve’s eyes, then his gaze wanders over to Will, the nurse, and the doctor.

 

“Can he hear us?” Steve murmurs, feeling a spike of worry pulse through him, but then Jonathan’s eyes are back on him.

 

“Jonathan, do you know where you are?” The doctor questions, Jonathan remains silent, staring at Steve with an intense frown. “Can you hear me, Jonathan?” His eyes flicker over to the doctor.

 

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, is that me?” He asks hoarsely, eyebrows scrunched together.

 

“Do you know your name, son?” The man asks, Jonathan’s expression goes from confused to troubled quickly.

 

“I-I can’t remember…” He replies meekly, looks to Will and Steve. Steve’s heart is racing, what did he mean he didn’t remember? How does someone forget their own fucking name? Would he know them?

 

“Do you recognize either of these young men?” The man inquires, Steve grits his teeth together in anticipation and forces a small smile onto his face. Jonathan continues to stare at him blankly, then does the same to Will.

 

“Am I… supposed to?” He says quietly, eyes squinting up slightly as if he were trying to recall. Steve’s heart sinks deep into his stomach, he feels sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( Aha! I'm the devil, yes I realize! However, surprise, surprise, this is only the first part of a two parter! The fluffier future is for tomorrow's fic, where I will redeem myself! )


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